Friday, July 11, 2014

His Defiant Leopard is here! This story is the third and final book in the Year of Eyes trilogy and the ninth book set in Valladora. For reading order, click here.

Blurb: Thanos
enjoys his quiet and solitary life, but when he finds two lost leopard
shifter cubs, he starts to see that he’s been missing out on life by
keeping to himself. Before he has a chance to try to help them, their
older brother practically storms the castle, accusing Thanos of holding
the cubs against their will. From the moment he scents Declan’s blood,
Thanos knows the fates brought the cubs to him for a reason.

Declan
is furious when he discovers that a vampire has taken his brothers, but
Thanos is not what he expected at all. He knows he can’t trust anyone,
yet he wants to believe the handsome vampire who immediately offers him
and his brothers a safe and luxurious life. But Declan and his brothers
have a secret, and once the vampire finds out, Declan knows the
happiness being dangled before him could be lost forever.

Declan sat on the
long couch Thanos gestured to. The captain and his lieutenant had been most
helpful, and they had mobilized immediately. Declan had heard Thanos giving
express orders to make finding the men a priority. Something wasn’t right, and
that scared Declan. Why would the vampire care so much about robbers? Yes, they
had hurt Declan physically, but no one had been killed and no property actually
destroyed or stolen. They might have had evil intent regarding the cubs, but
nothing could be proven. Even though vampires could deal out justice however
they liked, Thanos’s actions seemed too extreme.

Thanos went to a
table and opened a small wooden box. Declan tensed when he saw Thanos pull out
a knife, and he jumped to his feet as Thanos cut his own wrist.

“My lord, what are
you doing?” Declan asked, inching forward to see better yet wanting to back
away.

Thanos let some of
the blood dribble into a small silver bowl and then he licked the wound. “If
you drink this, your arm will heal. Unwrap it and let me look to see it is set
properly. I don’t want it to heal in a way that could harm you.”

“I would prefer
not to imbibe, if it’s all the same to you.”

Thanos set the
bowl aside and grabbed Declan’s arm, cutting the bandage off with one swipe of
the knife. Declan tried to free himself, but between the broken limb and
Thanos’s strength, he could not.

“What have I done
to deserve this treatment?” Declan asked.

Thanos examined
his arm and didn’t answer. He took the bowl and held it to Declan’s lips.

“No.” Declan
turned his head away.

Thanos sighed and
set the bowl down. Still not saying a word, Thanos wrapped his other arm around
Declan’s waist and pulled him close. His irises had turned red, indicating his
need for blood. His fangs sank deep into Declan’s neck before Declan could
protest. Desire surged through his body, but he fought it. Thanos drank deep,
moaning and pressing their bodies together. Declan felt the vampire’s arousal,
as well as his own. He’d heard stories, but he’d never imagined a vampire’s bite
would truly feel so good. Thanos sealed the wounds with several long licks of
his tongue, much to Declan’s relief. Another a few moments, and Declan would
probably have climaxed and embarrassed himself.

“Now, drink,”
Thanos said, bringing the bowl back to Declan’s lips.

Declan had to
obey, as the vampire now had power over him. To his amazement, the blood tasted
good, almost like honey, and heightened his arousal. His arm tingled, and he
knew Thanos’s blood was healing him. The pleasure and shock had so overwhelmed
him he hadn’t realized Thanos had bitten him in order to gain the power to
command him. The vampire’s eyes had transitioned to black now, and Declan knew
that meant Thanos wanted to penetrate him in a completely different way. He
could still feel heat where Thanos’s tongue had swiped over his flesh, and part
of him wanted to give in to the vampire’s desire.

“That was wrong of
you, my lord,” Declan said, keeping his voice low to hide his need. “You take
an unfair advantage to get your way.”

“I know you can’t
feel exactly what I feel,” Thanos said, setting the bowl aside and making
Declan look at him. “You’re stubborn and would not accept my help, so I forced
you to accept it. I’m sorry. As penance, I’ll give you relief but ask nothing
in return.”

“Relief?” Declan
gasped and jerked away when he realized what the vampire meant.